Back on Track: Choosing a Track Car
Ever since my drive on the Nürburgring, I’ve been increasingly more interested in the “Track” side of the automotive scene. Most car guys (or gals) fit into 4 categories (or stereo types) – don’t get offended, I’ve been in each of these myself at one time or another...- Street Racer: A dying breed since laws have squashed street racing, but there's still the dragstrip. This guy will most likely be driving a car that isn’t so flashy, but performs well in a straight line. Back in the day, this used to be the “only” scene - before large car events were available, the car show was literally just the side of the rad before racing. The new generation of street racing is canyon-running IMO, walks the same fine line between legal and illegal, plus you never know what you’re going to run into at Mulholland or Angeles Crest – there’s some amazing cars out there that nobody has seen.
- Carshow Guy: Pretty self-explanatory - all about the show and go. Will drive it, but doesn’t really push the car. Is either part of the stance or no stance movement, static or bagged. Lusts after hard to find parts and holds offsets close to heart. Most likely part of a “crew” and spends more time cleaning the car and putting on a sticker roll-call as opposed to driving it. Very likely gets in fights on the forums defending choices made after posting up pictures of their car.
- Club Racer/Concourse Guy: Purists. Wear their personal car manufacturer brand as a badge of honor. Knows the history of their car well and all the chassis designations. Active in Concourse events and longs for the good old days.
- Track/Autocross Guy: Weekend and possibly even a weekday warrior. All about the fine tune, aesthetics are important but not everything. All aero is useable and has an intended purpose. Performance is paramount, brakes in a straight line and knows vehicle weight and what an Apex is.
